Due to variances inherent in the microelectronic manufacturing process, devices manufactured by the same process and of the same type may have widely varying power consumption. This can lead to issues in burn-in processes and in platform validation tests.
For example, a typical burn-in process will sort the components to be cycled through burn-in by their power consumption. The devices at each power level are then burnt in separately from devices at other power levels. This requires either more time or more burn-in equipment, making the burn-in process less efficient. In addition, lower power devices have to be burnt in for longer periods of time, as they do not get to the higher temperatures that higher-powered devices reach.
Similarly, platform validation may suffer from a validation procedure run with a component that is at lower power consumption than what power consumption may be possible. For example, suppose a personal computer (PC) manufacturer receives a sample from a supplier that has a power consumption of 65 W during normal operation. The manufacturer then validates their platform at this power consumption. However, during production runs, the supplier may provide components that run as high as 75 W, which is the maximum power specified in the datasheet. This may cause problems for both the manufacturer and the supplier.
The manufacturer""s platform may not perform as well as would be expected, because of the increased power requirement of the component, which also contributes to heat generation, another factor that degrades the performance of microelectronic devices. The manufacturer and supplier relationship may also suffer. The manufacturer, upon receiving the lower power device initially, may assume that the supplier""s data sheet specifications for the device are incorrect. When the manufacturer""s platforms start to fail due to a power requirement higher than the validation power, the manufacturer may hold the supplier responsible.